Hillsdale College - Statues of The Liberty Walk

Statues of The Liberty Walk

• The Hillsdale Eagle

• Civil War Union Soldier

• George Washington

• Thomas Jefferson

• Abraham Lincoln

• Winston Churchill

Along with message-inscribed bricks purchased by friends and alumni of Hillsdale College, the Liberty Walk is lined with the likenesses of numerous well-known Western leaders and icons, the writings and ideas of which the college considers invaluable to both its own history and those of the United States and the Western tradition. Aside from the Hillsdale Eagle and a statue of the nameless Union soldier (dedicated in 1895, the 30th anniversary of the end of the Civil War), these include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher. A statue of Ronald Reagan was dedicated on October 7, 2011, coinciding with the centennial year of his birth. Reagan spoke at the college in 1977 prior to his presidency, stating, "Hillsdale deserves the appreciation of all who labor for freedom." Statues of James Madison, Frederick Douglass, and Hillsdale theologian Ransom Dunn are among possible future contributions.

However, numerous Hillsdale students have, for years, called for considering the likenesses of more classical Western thinkers, such as Socrates, Cicero, Aristotle, Augustine, or Thomas Aquinas among others. These requests range in urgency, and stem partly from the fear that by focusing too much on "modern" conservative icons, Hillsdale College risks being seen as "a mere right-wing ideology center." One student author commented as early as 2003, "I don't frown upon the statues we've chosen; I only regret the lack of historical depth, the relatively shallow reach with which we are dipping into tradition's pool. If we want to represent truly the glory of the Western tradition, then we need to include the likenesses of those men that paved the way for present and recent heroes."